Waymo robotaxis in San Francisco.
Gad (via Getty Images)
Waymo, the top U.S. robotaxis company, is aiming to expand its business internationally, with plans to begin its first overseas test in Tokyo early next year, while also expanding its service to more U.S. cities. It continues.
The Alphabet Inc. subsidiary plans to send a fleet of Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs to Japan early next year to begin mapping some of central Tokyo’s densest neighborhoods. To support its efforts, Waymo announced a partnership with Japan Kotsu, Japan’s largest taxi operator, and taxi app operator GO. The company did not say when the self-driving cars would be available for commercial service.
The news comes on the heels of Waymo’s plans to launch ride-hailing services next year in Miami, in addition to Austin and Atlanta. It is currently available in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, serving more than 150,000 passengers each week. The company hasn’t disclosed financial details for the service, but it estimates it generates more than $150 million in annual revenue based on weekly users.
General Motors announced last week that it has decided to withdraw from Waymo’s biggest U.S. rival, Cruise, a competing robotaxi service, and focus its efforts on self-driving technology on private cars. Elon Musk’s Tesla aims to become the leader in robot taxis, which has helped boost stock prices following Donald Trump’s election victory, but the company has demonstrated it has the ability to do just that I haven’t been able to do it.
Despite its name, Tesla’s Autopilot and fully self-driving features are classified as advanced driver-assistance technologies that require a human to take over immediately behind the wheel. By contrast, Waymo’s robotaxis operate without a human driver, but the company does have staff who can monitor the robotaxis and provide remote backup assistance.
Waymo announced in November that it had raised $5.6 billion in its largest funding round in history, ahead of major expansion plans. Additionally, the company plans to start sourcing electric vehicles from Hyundai next year, which will cost about 40% less than the I-Pace models it uses, and is also moving toward lower-cost computing and sensor hardware. are.
